And Ahimaaz called, and said unto the king, "All is well." And he bowed himself before the king with his face to the earth, and said, “Blessed be Jehovah thy God, who hath delivered up the men that lifted up their hand against my lord the king." And the king said, "Is it well with the young man Absalom?" And Ahimaaz answered, "When Joab sent the king's servant, even me thy servant, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what it was." And the king said, "Turn aside, and stand here.” And he turned aside, and stood still.

And, behold, the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, "Tidings for my lord the king; for Jehovah hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee." And the king said unto the Cushite, "Is it well with the young man Absalom?" And the Cushite answered, "The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise up against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is." And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!"

And it was told Joab, "Behold, the king weepeth and mourneth for Absalom." And the victory that day was turned into mourning unto all the people; for the people heard say that day, "The king grieveth for his son." And the people gat them by stealth that day into the city, as people that are ashamed steal away when they flee in battle. And the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, "O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!" And Joab came into the house to the king, and said, "Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy servants, who this day have saved thy life, and the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters, and the lives of thy

wives, and the lives of thy concubines; in that thou lovest them that hate thee, and hatest them that love thee. For thou hast declared this day, that princes and servants are nought unto thee: for this day I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee well. Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak comfortably unto thy servants; for I swear by Jehovah, if thou go not forth, there will not tarry a man with thee this night: and that will be worse unto thee than all the evil that hath befallen thee from thy youth until now." Then the king arose, and sat in the gate. And they told unto all the people, saying, “Behold, the king is sitting in the gate:" and all the people came before the king.

Now Israel had fled every man to his tent.

[After Absalom's death, Adonijah, the fourth son of David, plotted to secure the throne, which had been promised to Solomon by his father. David learned what Adonijah was doing and hastened to have Solomon crowned king.]

LXXI

THE CROWNING OF SOLOMON

(I Kings i: 32-53)

And king David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada." And they came before the king. And the king said unto them, "Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon: and let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel; and blow ye the trumpet, and say, 'Long live king Solomon!' Then ye shall come up after him, and

he shall come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead; and I have appointed him to be prince over Israel and over Judah." And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, "Amen: Jehovah, the God of my lord the king, say so too. As Jehovah hath been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David."

So Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon. And Zadok the priest took the horn of oil out of the Tent, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, "Long live king Solomon!" And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them.

And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it as they had made an end of eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “Wherefore is this noise of the city being in an uproar?” While he yet spake, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came and Adonijah said, "Come in; for thou art a worthy man, and bringest good tidings." And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, "Verily our lord king David hath made Solomon king: and the king hath sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and they have caused him to ride upon the king's mule; and Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon; and they are come up from thence rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that ye have heard.

And also

Solomon sitteth on the throne of the kingdom. And moreover the king's servants came to bless our lord king David, saying, 'Thy God make the name of Solomon better than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne:' and the king bowed himself upon the bed. And also thus said the king, 'Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, who hath given one to sit on my throne this day, mine eyes even seeing it.'"

And all the guests of Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way. And Adonijah feared because of Solomon; and he arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. And it was told Solomon, saying, "Behold, Adonijah feareth king Solomon; for, lo, he hath laid hold on the horns of the altar, saying, 'Let king Solomon swear unto me first that he will not slay his servant with the sword."" And Solomon said, "If he shall show himself a worthy man, there shall not a hair of him fall to the earth; but if wickedness be found in him, he shall die." So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and did obeisance to king Solomon; and Solomon said unto him, "Go to thy house."

LXXII

DAVID'S FAREWELL TO SOLOMON

(I Kings ii:1-12)

Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, "I am going the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man; and keep the charge of Jehovah thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his ordinances, and his testimonies,

according to that which is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself; that Jehovah may establish his word which he spake concerning me, saying, 'If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.' Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did unto me, even what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet. Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to Sheol in peace. But show kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at thy table; for so they came to me when I fled from Absalom thy brother. And, behold, there is with thee Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I sware to him by Jehovah, saying, ‘I will not put thee to death with the sword.' Now therefore hold him not guiltless, for thou art a wise man; and thou wilt know what thou oughtest to do unto him, and thou shalt bring his hoar head down to Sheol with blood."

And David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David. And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem. And Solomon sat upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly.